


Always in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

by meme_lissa



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: First Meetings, Gen, Legend is done, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Malon is mom, Nightmares, i dont know how tags work oh no, oh yeah warriors shows up at the end too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:15:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24378592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meme_lissa/pseuds/meme_lissa
Summary: Legend gets lost and finds himself at Lon Lon Ranch, meeting Time and Malon for the first time.AKA I was gonna write how everyone met and completely forgot the Malon arc existed somehow, but I liked how this turned out so I finished it off anyway
Relationships: Legend & Time (Linked Universe)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 124





	Always in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

Sometimes Link wished he didn't have such sympathy for strangers. A lot of the time, actually. It had gotten him into one too many situations that he wished he could erase from his memory. If he just didn't care, he wouldn't have ever ended up in the Dark World. He wouldn't have had to fight countless enemies and kill the same damn pig three times in a row. But then again, letting Ganon take over and thousands of innocent people dying wasn't an ideal outcome, so it was probably for the best. No, Link didn't regret any of that.

What he did regret was his willingness to help random strangers run their errands. Not that they were all bad, and he sometimes got paid for his troubles, but some errands had caused him more pain than they were worth. Today was no exception. Link had been in Kakariko for the day, buying supplies for the smith's shop he worked at full-time now, when a little girl ran up to him, crying that her cuccoo was missing. Link had groaned, said something along the lines of 'It'll come back later,' and continued on his business.

However, his guilt got the best of him. After he finished his errand, he begrudgingly made his way to the Lost Woods to search for that nuisance of a bird. This wasn't the first time this particular cuccoo had gone missing, and Link knew it wouldn't be the last. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't seem to find it today. It was always in the same clearing, eating whatever the hell cuccoos eat, but today it was nowhere to be seen.

Not knowing what else to do, Link went deeper into the woods. It was possible it had gone to the meadow where that damn sword-that-shall-not-be-named rested, and that was the last place Link wanted to go, so he searched the rest of the woods first. But things weren't going so smoothly.

Link knew these woods almost as well as he knew himself, yet he found himself in an area he didn't recognize. Granted, they are called the 'Lost Woods' for a reason. Link groaned, knowing this only meant one thing. "Good thing I decided to bring my shit with me today," he muttered to himself before picking a direction and walking. "I can't catch a break, can I?"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it didn't take Link very long to find his way out of the forest. Unfortunately, the scene before him was completely unfamiliar. The woods opened up into a vast meadow with a mountain range on the horizon. Link noticed that the entrance to the forest was at the end of a road, a road that led to what appeared to be a town surrounding a large castle. It was quite a way away, though, and with the sun beginning to set, Link knew he wouldn't be able to make it there before nightfall.

"Well, at least this place hasn't met the apocalypse yet, like every other damn alternate world I've been to." Link sighed and began his long trek across the field. Link didn't think he had gone through a portal of some sort; he just got twisted around in the woods. But, a perk (or curse) of being the Hero of Legend was that he had enough experience to know that he was no longer in the land of Hyrule that he called home.

Though Link knew that he was going to encounter some evil being or force that put him in this place, he had to admit that this was a lot nicer than his previous inter-dimensional travels. There wasn't a single monster in sight, birds were singling, mice were darting in and out of the grass, and the landscape appeared to be untouched by any sort of disaster. Link decided to make the best of it for now and enjoy the crisp air as the sun sunk lower in the sky.

After walking for a while, Link noticed a farm at the crest of a hill in the distance. It appeared to be about halfway between him and the town, so he decided to make his way there first. Even though the meadow was peaceful now, Link was well aware of the dangers that night posed, even in a world without monsters. Wild animals were still out there, and he could easily trip and twist an ankle in the dark. Granted, he did have a lantern, but that didn't necessarily prevent it, as he had learned the hard way several years ago.

After about an hour of walking, the sun had finally sunk below the horizon. Link was almost to the farm now; if he found himself in danger, he could probably make it there in time to save himself. As if on cue, Link heard something stir behind him. He whipped around, ready to draw his weapon, but there was nothing there. He noticed the sound again, now to his right. A low rumble that almost sounded like a groan.

The earth beneath his feet shifted. Link jumped back. Something was crawling out of the ground, something with a long, skeletal arm. And it looked like there were two of them. Not in the mood to take a chance on an unknown enemy, Link turned back towards the farm and ran. His Pegasus Boots helped him sprint faster with ease, but this still didn't do him much good.

Mounds of dirt were rising all across the field. Out of the earth came what looked like stalfos, but much smaller. They were only about half the height of Link, but the sheer amount of them made up for their size. Link had already pulled out his sword but didn't bother stopping to fight. He kept running, slashing and stabbing at the creatures whenever they were in reach. The gate to the farm was in sight now, and it wasn't much longer until he reached it.

Not wanting to lure a swarm of monsters to some poor family ill-prepared for this sort of thing, Link stopped just past the arch and turned to face the horde. Much to his surprise, there weren't as many pursuing him as he initially thought. Even now, only a short distance away from him, the few creatures that had been after him seemed to give up. They sunk back into the ground as if they had never been there in the first place.

Confused, yet relieved nonetheless, Link let out a long sigh of relief and sheathed his sword. Now that his life wasn't in danger, he looked at where his journey had brought him. The path led up to the top of the hill, where there were two small buildings side by side. Another gate between the two led to a large pasture.

The building on the left was a small farmhouse. Not wanting to wake up strangers- let alone strangers from an alternate world- in the middle of the night, Link opted to sleep in the barn instead. The door was locked, but the lock was old and rusted enough that Link was able to force it open.

Inside, the musty scent of hay and manure was very much present. Link could barely make out the silhouette of a few animals sleeping in the dark. _Wow, I didn't wake them up when I came in? I must be sneakier than I thought._ He grinned to himself at his successful infiltration and made his way to a barely-visible bed of hay next to one of the stalls. He set his pack, sword, and shield to the side, folded his hat neatly on top, and laid down for a long night's rest.

\--

The waves crashed. The wind howled. Thunder boomed all around him. He was on the boat again. He was going to die out here. The vessel was taking on more and more water, and the shore was nowhere in sight. The only light in the pitch-black storm was the lightning, seemingly growing closer and closer with each strike. The sail was ripped and tattered, and the anchor had broken free long ago. This was it. He was going to die out here. He looked up towards the heavens, at the tip of the mast. The world turned white with a deafening crash, and then-

Link sputtered as he scrambled to sit up. Cold water soaked his hair and dripped off his head. He kept sliding, unable to find solid ground, only hay. He had been on a boat, and it had been dark and stormy. _Where- oh. That damn dream again_. Link then remembered the previous night's events and realized he was in a stranger's barn. Looking around wildly, his gaze met the eyes of a woman standing over him.

She stared at him, holding a now-empty bucket over the bed of hay Link had been sleeping on. The two were silent for a few moments before the red-haired woman began howling and snorting with laughter. Link glared at her, picking himself up off the now-soaked ground. The woman turned and set the bucket down, still laughing. "Hun, you look more terrified than a hog going to market. That's what you get for sneakin' in here without permission!"

Link snatched up his hat- dry, thankfully- before looking back towards the woman and rolling his eyes. "Haha, very, very funny. Haven't you ever heard of shaking someone awake? Even a fucking bell would have been better than that stunt." He put his hands on his hips, trying to compensate for his lack of height. The woman had stopped laughing but was still clearly amused.

She picked up a broom that Link had knocked over in his fit and began to sweep up the scattered hay. "You were tossin' and turnin' every which way. I know better' n'to wake up someone havin' a nightmare. Learned that the hard way a long time ago." She snorted to herself. "Y’know, it would have been a might bit politer to ask to stay in here, instead of breakin’ n’ enterin’.” Link found himself wanting to crack a joke about her accent but decided against it. She seemed friendly enough, despite her unconventional wake-up methods.

“Look, lady, I’m sorry, I’ll get you a new lock.” Link winced. _Dammit, you did it again. Can’t even afford new clothes, and here you are offering to buy a stranger stuff._ The redhead laughed and patted Link on the shoulder. “Don’ worry ‘bout it hun, I was just messin’ with ya. Let’s get you dried off and somethin’ good to eat.” Link couldn’t help but be suspicious of her little questioning of his presence and eagerness to help, but sometimes country folk were just like that. Maybe, this would make it easier to get information…

Link hauled up his bag and weapons from the floor. “What, do you get strangers in your barn pretty often? You don’t seem to care that some sketchy looking 20-year-old was sleeping on your property all night long.” The woman shook her head. “Nah, but I know enough to know that you meant no harm. Just needed somewhere to stay. Come now, my honey’s probably finished the eggs, assumin’ he hasn’t burnt the place down.” She opened the door to the stable and let Link out in front of her.

The inside of the farmhouse was incredibly cozy. Almost sickeningly so. It was warm, well-decorated, and smelled of freshly baked bread. The redhead led Link to the kitchen where a tall, blonde man stood in front of an old stove, looking out a window. “Hey, fairy-boy, we’ve got an unexpected visitor! I hope you made extra!” The man didn’t turn around and shook his head. “And on the morning you made me do breakfast. Don’t be too impressed, but it’s probably edible.”

Link sat down at the table in the center of the room. The woman walked over to the man, kissing him on the cheek. “You know you’re a good cook when you actually try.” The man snorted. “If you say so, Mal. So, who’s this unexpected guest?” The man turned around and met his eyes with Link’s. Well, his one eye. His right eyelid had a long scar across it, and strange red and blue markings covered his forehead and right cheek. Link tried not to react to the man’s odd appearance.

Link, trying to think of a way to explain himself, stared at the couple. Thankfully, the wife spoke up first as she served him a plate full of eggs. “I never got your name, hun. And I never introduced myself either. How rude of me.” She laughed to herself. “My name’s Malon, this is my husband Link, and this is our humble ranch. Or, well, my father’s, but we do all the work. And who might you be?”

All the color had drained from Link’s face. Any hunger he had before was completely gone. It was rare he didn’t have a smart-ass response to any question. Yet now, he was at a complete loss for words. Link hadn’t looked away from the man since he had turned around, and now he felt like he couldn’t. The man, however, could tell something was up. He slowly walked up to the table, stopping across from Link. “What’s your name, son?”

The wife, Malon, had turned away and was unaware of the look of terror on Link’s face after her introduction. “Don’ be ‘fraid of him, hun, I know he looks big and scary, but he’s a real softie.” She turned, carrying her and her husband’s plates and noticed the two men staring at each other. “Is… there somethin’ wrong?” she tilted her head.

Link opened his mouth and tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound. If it were any other situation, he would laugh at the coincidence. ‘Link’ isn’t that uncommon of a name, after all. But he had gotten here through the Lost Woods. He knew this wasn’t his world. And the fact that this man, who had been intimidating even before revealing his face, shared Link’s name, was bone-chilling.

Malon had sat down next to her husband; both of them clearly worried. The man spoke up first. “Normally, I would tell a funny story about how this happened to my face, but I don’t think that’s what you’re worried about, is it?” He seemed genuinely concerned. Link tried to speak once again. “I… um… I… well. It’s just that my name’s Link too.” Malon laughed at this, cracking a joke about fate and coincidences, but her husband wasn’t as amused. His eye had widened, and he seemed to be staring at the wall now.

Link gulped. “I’m… I’m not supposed to be here,” he laughed, trying to make the situation less awkward. “I should probably leave…” He started to stand up before the man cut him off. “Stop.” The husband stood, pointing at Link, and sighed. “I’ve met other people named Link before; it wasn’t a big deal. I would think the same in this situation, but your reaction tells me that there’s something wrong here.” Link, still at a loss for words, simply nodded.

The man ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Malon, who had been sitting quietly and glancing between the two of them, stood up. “I think y’all might be better off if I leave for now. Somethin’ tells me there’s a long conversation ahead of y’all.” She patted her husband on the back before untying her apron and quietly exiting the room.

Link looked down at his full plate, now cold. The other Link sighed again and sat back down. “So… what’s your story? What kind of crazy shit has happened to you that would cause a reaction like that?” The man stretched his hands behind his head, his face suggesting he had a hunch as to why. The first Link, still shaken, tried his best to be his usual self. _I can’t be vulnerable like this._ He looked back up at the man.

“Well… I guess I’m kind of famous where I come from…” Link rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. “They call me the Hero of Legend… I was, uh. I had to defeat Ganon… three separate times.” The other man blinked, then brought his arms back down. “Well, that solves our first problem.” Link blinked. “What do you mean…?” The other Link laughed. “Well, we can’t just call each other ‘Link,’ can we? That’s a little bit confusing, don’t you think?"

The two talked for what felt like hours. By the idea of the older man, Link decided to adopt the nickname ‘Legend,’ while the old man chose ‘Time.’ He wouldn’t explain why, other than that his title was the Hero of Time. Link- Legend- had never heard of this man in his life. He knew about the Hero’s Spirit and the fact that there were heroes before him, but he didn’t know who.

After bouncing different facts about their homes off of each other, they concluded that Legend hadn’t traveled to another dimension, but he had traveled to a different time. Several hundred years in the past from his current time period. Time said that a man named Ganondorf had been arrested for high treason, which shocked Legend. That beast had been a man at some point? The thought baffled him.

The two of them were both very selective on what to tell the other, both sitting on massive secrets that they didn’t care to bring up or remember. The longer they talked, the more they learned they had in common. They had both defeated Ganon at least once, they had both wielded the Master Sword, and they both bore the Triforce of Courage. They learned that early on when Legend reached for a paper next to Time and their hands had started glowing.

Lastly, they both seemed to have the same feeling about their life as the Hero. Neither regretted defeating that beast (though there were other regrettable things in between), and neither cared to go on a quest ever again. Time told Legend how he and Malon had been married for about five years and were starting to think about starting a family. Legend explained that he was making a living as a blacksmith. Both were beginning to live normal lives, only to be abruptly jerked away from them by this fateful meeting.

Not having many other options, Legend stayed with Time, Malon, and her father Talon for the next several days. Though it was the last thing either of them wanted to do, they knew that they both needed to go out and somehow put a stop to this mess. After some arguing about Legend going alone and Malon convincing Time to get over himself, the two heroes set out on another journey, one unlike any they’d experienced before.

\--

“I don’t make deals with cheaters!” Legend jerked his head around. Warriors marched towards him, fury on his face like Legend had never seen before. He scowled. “What did you just say!?” Warriors leaned towards Legend’s face. “You made a deal with me already knowing! You got it exactly!” Recently, Time had told the group of heroes that he had been married, and Warriors seemed convinced that he was married to his era’s Queen Zelda.

However, Legend, remembering his first meeting with Time, knew otherwise. He had decided to have a little fun with it and had tricked Warriors into making a bet. Legend liked to think of himself as a good liar, and successfully winning a rigged bet against the arrogant captain was a taste sweeter than honey. He kept the ruse going, not fearing the wrath if Warriors ever found out, but simply enjoying the captain’s frustrations.

“I thought you were trying to pick a fight, not be a sore loser,” Legend smirked. “Listen, I guessed fair and square.” He smiled, thinking of what he would buy with his prize money. Maybe a new ring. Maybe new stockings, his current ones were getting old. Or perhaps he’d save it just to taunt his victim. Hopefully, by some miracle, Malon wouldn’t remember him. Legend knew this was unlikely. He just decided to enjoy this victory while it lasted.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't wrote a fic in literal years, and I've never posted any anywhere, but I figured I gotta start somewhere! I'm worried I may have written Legend a little bit out of character, but I hope it's not too bad ghbfjbhfj  
> so? I guess I'll consider this my first Real Fic even though it's Short
> 
> i hope it was somewhat enjoyable! i'm trying to write more so i may or may not end up posting some actual stuff later on :eyes emoji:


End file.
